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Ballistic research techniques: visualizing gunshot wounding patterns

Stevenson, Tom; Carr, Debra J.; Harrison, Karl; Critchley, Richard; Gibb, Iain E.; Stapley, Sarah A.

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Authors

Tom Stevenson

Debra J. Carr

Karl Harrison

Richard Critchley

Iain E. Gibb

Sarah A. Stapley



Abstract

There are difficulties associated with mapping gunshot wound (GSW) patterns within opaque models. Depending on the damage measurement parameters required, there are multiple techniques that can provide methods of “seeing” the GSW pattern within an opaque model. The aim of this paper was to test several of these techniques within a cadaveric animal limb model to determine the most effective. The techniques of interest were flash X-ray, ultrasound, physical dissection, and computed-tomography (CT). Fallow deer hind limbs were chosen for the model with four limbs used for each technique tested. Quarantined 7.62 × 39 mm ammunition was used for each shot, and each limb was only shot once, on an outdoor range with shots impacting at muzzle velocity. Flash X-ray provided evidence of yaw within the limb during the projectile’s flight; ultrasound though able to visualise the GSW track, was too subjective and was abandoned; dissection proved too unreliable due to the tissue being cadaveric so also too subjective; and lastly, CT with contrast provided excellent imaging in multiple viewing planes and 3D image reconstruction; this allowed versatile measurement of the GSW pattern to collect dimensions of damage as required. Of the different techniques examined in this study, CT with contrast proved the most effective to allow precise GSW pattern analysis within a cadaveric animal limb model. These findings may be beneficial to others wishing to undertake further ballistic study both within clinical and forensic fields.

Citation

Stevenson, T., Carr, D. J., Harrison, K., Critchley, R., Gibb, I. E., & Stapley, S. A. (2020). Ballistic research techniques: visualizing gunshot wounding patterns. International Journal of Legal Medicine, 134(3), 1103-1114. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-020-02265-5

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Jan 31, 2020
Online Publication Date Feb 14, 2020
Publication Date May 1, 2020
Deposit Date Sep 7, 2020
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal International Journal of Legal Medicine
Print ISSN 0937-9827
Electronic ISSN 1437-1596
Publisher Springer Verlag
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 134
Issue 3
Pages 1103-1114
DOI https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-020-02265-5
Keywords Pathology and Forensic Medicine; Gunshot; Wound; Limb; X-ray; Ultrasound; CT
Public URL https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/6253447
Additional Information Received: 28 November 2019; Accepted: 31 January 2020; First Online: 14 February 2020; : Ethical approval for this work was granted through Cranfield University Research Ethics System (CURES/3579/2017).; : The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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Publisher Licence URL
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Copyright Statement
This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.




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